Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Do you prefer to see Devs release many synthesizers or one big one that is constantly updated?
I am talking about developers taking the Omnisphere route. Spectrasonics only has a few instruments in it's portfolio but the few they have are consistently updated and are incredible. The other route is releasing many smaller synths that get updated less frequently usually with smaller iterations like bug fixes etc. What do you think?
*Not talking about porting Omnisphere.
Comments
Omnisphere (afaik) is much more than a synth, it also got excessive fx and sound processing options. That makes it an easy go for preset hunters and very time efficient.
On the other hand you can setup similiar routing options in IOS rather quickly, but (most likely) have to sacrifice the instant recall option of Omnisphere.
As far as I'm concerned I prefer top notch sound generators, filters and envelopes in a synth, in some cases spiced by single outs for dedicated recording pathes.
The most annoying feature on IOS is the constant replication of humble to average fx processing in almost every IOS synth. It's wasted screen estate and (often) additional work to get it out of the way.
Unless developers brave the waters of subscriptions, and users don’t lynch them, I don’t see how the big-app / lots of updates model is sustainable for them. They get no income from improvements unless they find a way to offer them as IAP’s, something that also seems not to go down well.
I think a beneficial side effect of the small-scale model is higher innovation. It seems to me like it’s easer to come up with a smaller something unique (such as RuisMaker Noir) than to think of ways to bolt on innovative features to an already established beast.
I’m in favor of what best puts food on the table for developers - other than subscriptions. Because when that happens we continue to get cool new toys.
The latter
Prefer the bite size pieces probably, lighter weight helps me assemble what I need in AUM with limited processor power and duplicates if its AU. A big synth might mean Im only using 1/10 of it. Also I go through a lot of music apps, a lower price is easier to gamble with.
Nothing against big apps though, Korg has kept Gadget interesting for quite a while.
Issue is only a very small minority would pay top dollar for a music app but the vast majority of consumers will not on iOS for various reasons.
I have too many smaller synth apps. I'd prefer the latter, like with SynthMaster One for instance, or even Obsidian in the upcoming Nanostudio 2. That one won't be just a synth but (I think) a 32-zone sampler as well with IAP packs.
I'm not convinced this is true. I haven't seen a real test of what the iOS music production market will support along those lines, as no one has priced any premium software above $50, save for a few niche cases.
I can only speak for myself, but if I were to see something like VPS Avenger, Kontakt or other serious sound tools offered on iOS, I'd certainly consider paying significantly more than what the average premium iOS app currently goes for -- something that exponentially increases the power of the platform will arguably justify the heftier price... It could also create a bit of a self-sustaining snowball effect, as more musicians take the platform seriously.
Re: Omnisphere on iOS.
More so than the price, do you think Omnisphere's 64 GB footprint might be a big roadblock for users?
That's my entire iPad storage.
Combination of iOS and the hardware plus Apple store policy just makes it difficult for that to happen.
I wasn't saying a port of Omnisphere, clearly that wouldn't work. But a relatively big synth on the iPad.
Not to mention the fact you need to use their USB drive to install it unless you want to download that much data.
I'd like devs to release anything cool, any size, for free, with constant free updates making it even cooler.
Some people are realists, some are dreamers. I take what iOS devices offer and run with it. If companies could make money on iOS offering Omnisphere, Kontakt stuff, etc., it would be here. It's not. If they could sell apps for more than $50, they would. They don't. The possible reasons have been discussed many times, but bottom line... mobile devices at this time are relatively limited but amazing nonetheless.. make the best of what you've got.
Once Digital D1 goes AU I see it as the Omnisphere of iOS
Good points. Market economics will drive what happens, not us stroking our egos thinking we can predict it or influence it by holding forth here.
Fun to speculate about though.
It's a nice app but no, it's not quite Omnisphere...
This thread brings up some interesting points.
At this point in history, it seems like would be impossible for indie developers like AudioKit or Bram to sell our apps for even $29.99 or more (even if we were to make the best app, ever). Though, brands like Native Instruments, Xfer, U-he, Vengeance, Korg, etc could do it.
It might actually might be a good thing for indie devs if more desktop apps got in the game. Maybe it would open the door for indie developers to make bigger and better apps, once that new iOS "premium" synth market opens up.
The people in this forum are super hip to indie developers. But, the mainstream world out there seems to have very little interest in apps by those who aren't household names in the desktop or hardware world.
That being said. I'm very grateful that this forum and all you wonderful iOS musicians exist. The Audiobus forum is the fuel that keeps indie music apps moving forward.
@analog_matt, you are one of the most grateful and appreciative persons I have ever come across.
I want my kids to be like you when they grow up. Too late for me.
Just read my mind
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Although I have little expendible money, I don’t mind spending $30 on a good synth app. I bought Digital D-1 without thinking twice. I don’t have funds or oganiztional skill to control cash flow with a theoretical subscription model. Isn’t there a variety of other ways that we can work around this situation? Can’t devs just set up a donate PayPal button on their websites so that we can offer donations above the app cost paid via Appstore? Devs can keep AppStore prices low, and we can give a little extra for the apps we like & use. We should use crowd funding to help support the indie devs, but we need the devs to set up the donate buttons. Is that an idea that people on this forum and devs would get behind?
I don't know the numbers, but as @analog_matt suggested, there's a mainstream world out there that's a different market for iOS music apps. I think it must be the vast majority of users. I'd bet even many users of Audiobus don't follow this forum. So assuming everyone "here" would get behind donating extra money, and devs could count on this extra income, would it be enough to really change the economics of it all?
Most of my favorite desktop tools are from independent developers.
Also beside N.I. and other big companies there are „famous“ synths which are a one man show (or 2-3 persons at best).
Isn‘t the AudioKit team bigger than U-he (i think they are just 15).
Also Korg, Arturia and some others are already here.
I think only iOS and the app store is holding them all back.
Apparently there was discussion on Facebook when Noir came out and people who were expecting it to be $5 were mighty disappointed that I was asking $10 (they are now waiting for sale). Nah.. it's not iOS nor the App Store holding back the big names and the big shakeups.
I mean... $10 is what a value meal at McDonalds costs over here. And they don't spend months tweaking my burger to perfection.
The fb groups are pretty absurd, i swear they're mostly 16 year-olds buying apps from allowances from taking out the trash. I would have happily paid twice that for Noir.
Thank‘s for the honest info and it‘s really sad to hear.
So that means that the market, the people who buy iOS music should just not be the target for developers who makes a living from it.
But i also ask me if it‘s worth then in a long time to focus on this market.
Some desktop developers even don‘t want a giant market share but a more controllable size for support and stuff but with higher prices then.
Also i wonder if that not might change since iPads going to cost the same as expensive laptops in some years (or they already do) and people crying for the pro apps but no one will pay for it.
Maybe one day it‘s time to ignore the people since there is enough cheap or free stuff around.
It‘s like with the chicken and the egg.....it must start somewhere.
I also think still a dedicated pro app store with proper demo time could change a lot.
Also in general forum members and these facebook kids are maybe not the big part of the market.
But isn‘t that like someone says your child is ugly
That's the thing... on iOS these 'kids' are the main market. This is why iOS as platform is still years away from being taken seriously for music making.
Indeed, i still think NS2 Obsidian will be a wonderful workstation. It‘s something i would pay 100+ for mac.
But i like my music developers
How would the iOS only apps do if ported to desktop? Possibly no better. I think this is more of a branding issue than a platform issue.
Maybe, maybe not. It might also have to do with promotion, famous sound designer releasing preset packs and tutorials and you-tube videos from people to spread the word.
But yes, a big or famous name in this area has big impact for sure. There are indeed a few companies i would buy blind because i know they will support it for years because they can.
One of my favorite synth sound to me better than any other famous emulation of analog circuits but it´s going to not supported anymore maybe in the future since it was just a love child of an independent developer as side project.
Bigger brands tend to stay more save in terms of experimental or innovative stuff but also give you maybe more and better support for the coming years for what you payed.
But there are already a lot devs who develop for iOS and desktop OS. Only they could answer what works better for them.
I remember Beepstreet said in an interview some time ago that iOS isn´t great for making money and so he released Sunrizer as VST/AU as well as Dagger and planned some other things. It seems that gone even worse and so he is back to iOS only.
I think it is hard to say which tool from which developer will works better on which platform.
Also today the market is so crowded and while i´m an appoholic and a sucker for synths, FX and all other music related stuff i don´t know what to buy (beside sample libraries) these days because there is nothing new anymore beside a few very unique niche creative FX maybe.
It´s a bit sad that the market holding these niche tools back from iOS and maybe will so for the coming years.